Jet Black Upside Down Catfish

nagukush

nagukush

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Jan 1, 2008
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Hey Friends !

I've removed the Yellow Labs from my tank and I thought I'll keep a few (may be 2 or 3) small upside-down catfish with my fronts.

I aksed a store and he says he has them in stock but they're not the normal mottled-brown colored ones. He says he has Jet Black Upside Down Catfish and swears that they're dwarf ones (growing to a max of 4")

Just wanted to know if any such thing even exists or is he just trying to sell me a wrong fish. I cant see the fish because the store is far away (in a different City) and will be shipped to me.

I'm afraid that they may be some other upside down cats that grow huge... Kindly guide me if there is anything called "Jet Black Upside-Down Catfish" ?

Kindly guide me...
Thanks and Regards
Kush
 
:) It's really difficult to say. 'fishorama' makes a valid point. There is a huge difference between the above & others including size & behaviour. 'Common' names can be anything from regional nicknames to marketing ploys. Species or scientific names are better for identification. Synodontis nigriventris (your avg. upsidedown cat) mottled black or dark is of African origin & does max about 4". Breeding sometimes gives you colors other than the norm. Ask the retailer for the species (scientific) name & if they are wild or tank bred. If they are legit & truthful you'll have a better idea of what you're getting into. "T"
 
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its probably one of those Black Upside Down Catfish that are actually in the Bagariadae family, reach 1' long, and attack stuff. Liveaquaria has an aticle on them, check it out
 
its a giant Asian upside-down catfish most likely if it is jet black. ask the store how big it is now and if it has any square/diamond shaped white or grey specks on its body. if it does, its going to grow upwards of 6 inches. i have had one for a while now and it does NOT get along with yellow labs or convict cichlids. its also more territorial than aggressive. very cool looking fish though, and mine doesn't seem to be too scared of me. ive "pet" it a few times
 
its a giant Asian upside-down catfish most likely if it is jet black. ask the store how big it is now and if it has any square/diamond shaped white or grey specks on its body. if it does, its going to grow upwards of 6 inches. i have had one for a while now and it does NOT get along with yellow labs or convict cichlids. its also more territorial than aggressive. very cool looking fish though, and mine doesn't seem to be too scared of me. ive "pet" it a few times
Click to expand...

True story. I bought one at wal-mart long before I knew about them. They were being sold as community fish. A school of platies would disagree. There's some info on them here http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish, USD Gold Flake.htm
 
I bought my Synodontis eupterus "featherfin squeaker" having been told it was nigriventis. He was just over an inch long, and so still in his juvenile black coloring. Squeakers do behave much like upside downs, especially when very young, so that didn't help.

Be CAREFUL with cat IDs!!! I love this cat, but he will get to be waaay larger than I had been planning for with a regular upside down, and I've been racing to change my tank plans accordingly!!
 
I've seen them before... They do get huge, they are highly unsocial when small, and they die very easily when young. Stick out for the S. nigriventris if you're in the market for a USD cat.
 
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